Hammer holster



Nov. 18, 1952 J. G. VANlSH 2,618,419

HAMMER HOLSTER Filed Au 23, 1949 Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAMMER HOLSTER James G. Vanish, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 23, 1949, Serial No. 111,842

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a hammer holster and more. particularly to a hammer holster having a resilient loop normally standing in approximately horizontal open position when unoccupied by a hammer or the like, and bendable downwardly when occupied by a hammer or the like, to cause the latter tobe held close to the body of the wearer and out of the way. When the hammer is removed the loop springs back to its normal outstanding position and form, and is available to have a hammer handle quickly and easily inserted therein. The present invention enables the wearer to use the hammer holster with any pair of trousers and belt, and in any desired position on the belt regardless of whether he be right-handed or left-handed.

With the old-fashioned hammer holders, consisting of a cloth loop sewed to the overalls, troussers or the like, the hammer would more or less loosely dangle from the limp loop, causing annoyance to the wearer and resulting in soon wearing out the loop. Also with the new rubber grips now being used on most hammer handles, most cloth holders sewed onto the overalls, pants, or the like, are too small to take the added circumference with the result that the hammer will be inserted into one of the pockets, soon wearing it to shreds. These, and other objections are overcome by my present invention.

Among the objects of my invention are: to provide a new and improved hammer holster; to provide a hammer holster having a coiled spring loop which bends downwardly and inwardly when occupied by a hammer handle or the like to cause the latter to be held close to the wearers body, and springs back to approximately horizontal open position when the hammer and handle are removed therefrom; to provide a hammer holster mounted on a resilient clasp adapted to be detachably mounted in various positions around the Wearers belt; to provide a hammer holster formed of a coiled spring loop secured in a novel manner to said clasp; to provide a novel coiled spring loop and clasp of the type referred to; and such further objects, advantages and.capabilities, inherently possessed by my invention, as will later more fully appear.

My invention further resides in the combine. tion, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment I wish it understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my hammer holster with a hammer in place therein, the wearers belt being shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the hammer holster, the hammer having been removed and the belt omitted.

Fig. 3 is an edge elevation looking toward the bottom of Fig. 2, the loop being shown in solid lines without a hammer therein, and in dotted lines with a hammer therein.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line -4 of Fig. 3, without the hammer in place in the loop.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showing how the inner wire coil of the loop member is wound upon the stranded wire core, and the outer wire coil is wound upon the inner wire coil.

While I have designated the present invention as being a hammer holster, and described it as used for holding a hammer and hammer handle, I wish it understood that it may be used for holding such tools other than hammers, to which it may be suitably adapted.

As shown in the drawing, my improved hammer holster comprises generally a coiled-wire loop member I and a clasp member 2, the latter being adapted to be detachably mounted upon the belt 3 of the wearer or if desired upon the waist-band of his trousers, or any other suitable and available portion of the wearers clothing. The clasp 2 is formed with the inner vertical leg 4 curved outwardly and downwardly at its upper end to provide the resilient leg 5 which at its top is spaced a slight distance away from leg 6 and at its bottom end portion normally contacts the leg 4 and continues therefrom for a short distance in a downwardly and outwardly curved end portion 6. Curved end 6 is adapted to be pushed downwardly over the wearers belt, waist-band or the like, and due to the resilience of leg 5, pass thereover to position the holster thereon, and be removed therefrom when desired.

The leg 5, intermediate of its height and symmetrically with its vertical center line, has pressed outwardly therefrom a pair of integral bands I l and 8 behind which are inserted the ends 8 and ll] of the loop member I which are fixed in position therein by having any suitable number of indentations H forced inwardly from the bands 1 and 8 into ends 9 and H! by a prick-punch or the like, or otherwise secured in position by any suitable means. Each of bands i and B are also preferably bent inwardly at their middle porstructure.

tions l2 (see Fig. 5) to tightly engage said loop ends 9 and It]. Just above bands 7 and 8 the end portions 9 and ID are bent into a normally substantially horizontal plane to merge into the main body of the loop I, which preferably, when free of a hammer or the like, assumes in plan view a circular ring, as seen in Fig. 2. When, however, a hammer or other headed tool has its handle inserted downwardly through the loop I so that the head thereof is seated in the loop, the loop will assume the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3, so that the handle thereof will be close to the leg of the wearer.

The construction of the loop member i will now be described. An inner core member 53 is formed of a plurality of longitudinally extending strands i l of small diameter flexible wire and each of a length to extend circumferentially around the loop and to the lower ends of the two end portions 9 and iii. Coiled around the outside of the core member I3 is an inner spring wire coiled member 15 having its coils preferably in approximate lateral contact with each other, this coiled member 45 extending the full length of thecore member i3. Around the outside of the coiled member i5 an outer layer iii of spring wire is wound in the opposite direction, and preferably having its coils in approximate lateral contact with each other. Coiled member i6 likewise extends the full length of the loop member to the ends of the end portions 9 and 10. By winding coiled member E6 in the opposite direction from coiled member l5, places the inclination of the coils of one in the opposite direction from the inclination of the coils of the other, in much the same manner as the difierence between right-hand threads and left-hand threads. The core member I3, the inner coiled member I5 and the outer coiled member [6 are secured together at each end as by soldering, welding, or in any other suitable manner, to form a unitary flexible When the ends are bent at substantially right angles, as shown in Fig. 4, and fastened within the bent out bands I and 8, as described earlier herein, the loop member will be securely fixed to the clasp member 2 and normally extend therefrom in approximately a horizontal plane when not supporting a tool there within.

When the handle of a hammer or other tool is inserted downwardly through the loop, the loop will resiliently bend downwardly under the weight of the tool, and to a limited extent be distorted downwardly and inwardly close to the leg of the wearer, as will be understood in Fig. 3, thus enabling the tool to be comfortably and snugly worn by the wearer and be quickly available for use by withdrawal from the loop. As stated, when the tool is removed from the loop, the loop will immediately, under the action of the coil springs, spring back to approximately horizontal position, and open ready to receive the same or another tool therein. The strands of wire I l of the core l3 limit the longitudinal stretching of the coiled members and thus prevent the loop member from permanently losing its shape, and effective resiliently to return to its original position when free of a tool. This result is further facilitated by winding the coiled members !5 and IS in ope posite directions.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A tool holster, comprising, a clasp member adapted to be detachably secured to the clothing mounted on said clasp member and resiliently standing in an approximately horizontal plane when free of a tool, and occupying a downwardly and inwardly bent position when a tool is positioned therein with its handle extending through the loop of the loop member, the outer edge of the loop member when holding a tool being considerably lower than said horizontal position and the resiliency of said coiled wire causing the outer depressed end of the loop member to grip inwardly against the tool and cause the tool to be held close to the wearers body, the clasp member including a pair of integrally connected outer and inner flat members resiliently urged toward each other, the outer member having a band pressed outwardly therefrom and integral with the outer member at both ends, the mounting of the loop member on the clasp member including an end portion at each end of the loop portion extending downwardly at approximately right angles to the main body of the loop member when free of a tool, said end portions being tightly gripped between said band and said outer fiat member with said end portions substantially in contact with each other sidewise.

2. A tool holster, comprising, a clasp member adapted to be detachably secured to the waist line of the wearers clothing, said clasp member including a pair of integrally connected outer and inner flat members resiliently urged toward each other, the outer one of said fiat members having formed in an intermediate portion of its width a band pressed outwardly therefrom and integral therewith at its ends, a coiled spring wire loop member having its end portions each extending downwardly at an abrupt angle to the main portion of the loop member which latter occupies an approximately horizontal position when free of a tool, said downwardly extending end portions being tightly gripped between said band and its fiat portion of the clasp member, said loop member when having a tool inserted in place therein extending downwardly and outwardly from the clasp member in a curved position with its outer edge position a considerable distance below said horizontal position and inwardly of its position when horizontal, to grip against the outer side or the tool therein, whereby when the tool is removed from the holder the loop member will immediately spring back to its approximately horizontal position, the coils of the loop member permitting free bending of the loop member without permanent distortion of the spring wire from which it is formed.

3. A tool holster, comprising, a clasp member adapted to be detachably secured to the belt of the wearers clothing, a socket member on said clasp member, a spring wire loop member having angularly extending ends secured in said' socket member, said loop member occupying a position substantially at a right angle to the clasp member when free of a tool and movable downwardly into a depressed curved position when a tool is inserted into the loop member, said loop member comprising an inner core member of a plurality of longitudinally extending wires with a first coiled member extending helically around the core member in one direction with the sides of the coils in approximate lateral contact with each other and a second coiled member extendin helically around the first coiled member in the opposite direction with the sides of the coils of the second coiled member in approximate lateral contact with each other, said coiled members extending the length of the core member and secured thereto at its ends, whereby the two coiled members will slide relatively to each other when the loop member is bent and swung up and down during operation,

the core member wires preventing permanent 5 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Perry Mar. 14, 1882 Rune Apr. 10, 1910 Wood Dec. 30, 1919 Perlstring Feb. 12, 1924 Webb Mar. 27, 1934 Angell Feb. 12, 1935 Consolazio Dec. 31, 1935 Armstrong June 14, 1938 Nibur May 20, 1941 

